The present invention relates to a solid type fabric-cleaning product which finds utility as a pre-applied spotting agent used prior to a laundering procedure so as to facilitate the removal of stains and soil from selected pre-treated areas of the fabric. More particularly, the invention is directed to a laundry soil and stain removing composition which includes, in combination, surfactants, laundry enzymes, and a carrier material so as to provide a solid medium that can be applied conveniently to a fabric as an aid in laundering. The composition includes a chemical agent for regulating and for selectively, independently modifying physical and chemical parameters of the product to enhance its functional features and its effectiveness in use.
Compositions finding utility as pre-spotting preparations have long been utilized in the laundering and cleaning field. Such preparations have been applied to particular, selected stained or excessively soiled areas of clothing and other fabrics prior to subjecting the pre-treated material to a laundering operation. It has been established that effective pre-treatment of the type described increases the likelihood of removing the soils and stains effectively.
The specialized preparations of the prior art have taken various physical forms and have embraced a broad variety of chemical formulations. Among such pre-treatment preparations are dry products which have ordinarily been used in conjunction with water to provide a solution in which the fabric to be cleaned is subjected to a pre-soaking step. Other prior products include formulations packaged for spraying from aerosol type dispensers or from bottles fitted with pump mechanisms. Still other specialized preparations constitute preparations which are applied, as liquid pre-spotters, directly to the area to be treated.
Some of the products of the type referred to above have included laundry enzymes of the type which have been demonstrated to act effectively to enhance the removal of foreign material including oil and grease stains and other stains and soil from fabrics. The enzymes system employed are critically sensitive to the pH of the system into which they are introduced. This fact has interfered with and impaired their use in laundry preparations.
The use of dry powders in conjunction with water is inconvenient, as is the use of liquid pre-spotters. Aerosol type pre-spotting preparations are costly and suffer the disadvantages inherent in all aerosol type products.
Another shortcoming of prior art "stain sticks" or pre-spotters, particularly those using a sodium stearate matrix is that it has heretofore not been possible to formulate a product which is soft but which also has a dropping point above 120.degree. F., a temperature reasonably to be encountered during shipment or warehouse storage.
Many of the products heretofore produced have failed to achieve a balance and functional optimization of the values of interrelated parameters including pH, drop point, and hardness which define and determine the utility and the effectiveness of laundry pre-spotting preparations.
It is also known in the prior art to utilize pre-spotters which take the physical form of stick-like probes or applicators. It is to the improvement of the latter type of product and to the elimination of shortcomings and inadequacies of prior art products that the present invention is directed.